


signal

by bunnyhearted



Category: Signal - TWICE (Music Video), TWICE (Band)
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, F/F, OT9 - Freeform, Spies & Secret Agents, Superpowers, but not like in the mv, lapslock, signal mv
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 10:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21894025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnyhearted/pseuds/bunnyhearted
Summary: ceo shin describedtwiceas a group that would only consist of high-skilled, dependable, exemplary agents, making it clear that being selected would be nothing short of honorable.when they were selected to be members of the agency's most reputable group, they expected to work together, to impress and disappoint, and to get a few scars along the way. they never could have guessed what else was on their path.♡in which twice are agents with superpowers and are sent on missions to take down enemies. they didn't realize they would fall in love amidst the violence, triumph, and despair of it all.(based very loosely off of the "signal" music video.)
Relationships: Chaeyoung/Dahyun/Jeongyeon/Jihyo/Mina/Momo/Nayeon/Sana/Tzuyu (TWICE)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> i'm finally posting this ahhh
> 
> my first twice fic !! i had the idea for way too long and then i started it and i had the first chapter ready for way too long. now i'm finally getting around to posting it
> 
> this is gonna be a wild ride (at least for me), so i hope you enjoy it.
> 
> just so you know, the warnings, rating, and tags will almost definitely change, but rn i have it appropriate to what is published. i'm not 100% sure of all the details n stuff but i'll definitely be adding some warnings and such once i know. i'm not going to tell you not to read it if you can't handle that, but just know that it won't stay the same. (it won't get super dark or anything but still in need of some warnings.) please stay safe!
> 
> thank you for reading :)
> 
> [also follow my twt even tho it's (kinda) new](https://mobile.twitter.com/lofichaeng?lang=en)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **chapter warnings:** none
> 
> most chapters won't be this short!! i'm posting the first three at once because it makes more sense than posting just the first one/two when they're so short. hope you like it !

"i wouldn't change out of your uniform if i were you. we have that assembly in a little while."

chaeyoung ignored her friend's advice as she pulled on sweatpants, leaving her in a quarter of her trainee uniform: only the white button-up remained of the set. her room was slightly messy, finding herself busier than usual. she collapsed on the armchair behind her, next to the vent spitting cold air on to her bare feet. she toed it shut, curling into the chair to warm herself up.

"it's in half an hour, right? i'm not going to spend that time freezing," she argued, letting her head fall back. "it's so cold today; the whole right wing has been freezing for the past two hours."

"more," yuju corrected. "the whole building has been cold, from what i can tell." she sat cross-legged on the white rug. "at least it wasn't cold all day."

chaeyoung hummed in agreement. "have you heard anything else about the assembly?"

"nope," yuju replied. "just the obvious. i can practically _feel_ the tension in my lungs when i breathe. everyone's gonna be pissed if it's anything other than the announcement, though."

"me too," chaeyoung agreed. she was silent for a moment. "...do you think you have a chance?"

yuju contemplated the question before answering. "honestly? yeah. am i counting on it? no. am i hoping for it?"

she didn't have to finish her sentence for chaeyoung to know the answer. _aren't we all?_ she'd be an idiot not to know that her and yuju were, in a way, rivals.

"what about you?"

chaeyoung chewed on her lip. what about her? of course she thought— _knew_ she had a chance. she'd been a trainee for over three years — some trainees debuted after a mere year of training. others trained for over ten tears before debuting. granted, the latter was a less common occurrence, usually under specific circumstances, such as the trainee joining the organization at a particularly young age, but— it was still a lengthy time to train.

but a chance was just— well, just a _chance_. the odds likely weren't any more against her than all of the other hardworking trainees with however much experience was required, but that was it: there were other trainees. hell, for all they knew, they could only be selecting trainees with five or more years of training. it wasn't likely, as many trainees with less training had proven themselves more than capable, but it was still a possibility.

still, chaeyoung had hope. she was, admittedly, proud of her abilities, and had always worked hard, her efforts evident in her evaluations. maybe everyone had stepped up their effort since the upcoming group had been announced to debut soon. maybe chaeyoung did, too. but she was consistently confident in her abilities.

"same here," she answered, smiling. "fingers crossed."

it wasn't supposed to be so competitive — at least, not between them. but it was inevitable. there would never be any bad blood, but it was always a little tense when a new team was announced. this time, though, the stakes were a little higher, a little more intense. ceo shin had made it clear that this group was going to be _admirable_, only for the best of the best. it was certainly intimidating, but chaeyoung didn't let herself get discouraged. she knew that could only hurt her.

ceo shin described _twice_ —_top workers of intelligence and combat engagement_— as a group that would only consist of high-skilled, dependable, exemplary agents, making it clear that being selected would be nothing short of honorable. truly, chaeyoung would be grateful to debut in any team, but one couldn't deny that debuting in _twice_ would be "_the dream_".

the ceo hadn't given the trainees any dates to prepare for, to work towards. he simply described the debut as _soon_, most likely not wanting to give the trainees any idea of when they should work harder, when they could get away with slacking off a little and still remain viable options for the new group. he hadn't debuted a team in years, and the announcement of _twice_ made trainees wonder if the reason it had been so long was because the agency had been working on this group.

chaeyoung thought about the responsibility of it all, wondering if _twice_ would be given exclusively difficult missions, given the description of the group. _every agent has a lot of responsibility_, her brain reminded her. after all, groups were assigned missions of their agents' skill levels, carefully hand-picked as to refrain from assigning them mission below or— god forbid— above their skill levels.

"i wonder what it'd be like," yuju thought aloud. "i mean, being in a group so..."

"admirable?" chaeyoung finished.

"i know _twice_'s agents won't get any special privileges — at least, i hope not — but i wonder if it would be... i don't know. different?"

chaeyoung hummed in understanding. "they really hyped it up."

she eyed the clock on the wall perpendicular to her bed. it read _4:40_ in bright led lights.

"shit, we're supposed to be there in five minutes," she realized, quickly stripping herself of her sweatpants and shirt, scrambling to put on her uniform.

"it doesn't really start until five," yuju said. "they say to be there earlier so no one's late."

chaeyoung huffed. she knew that. maybe this _twice_ thing was affecting her more than she thought.

"right," she muttered, no longer in a hurry putting on her uniform. she zipped up her skirt, looking around for her tie.

"i'm ready when you are," yuju told the younger trainee. she nodded, pulling her socks to her knees before slipping on her shoes.

"'kay, let's go," she said as she checked her bleached hair in the mirror. she ran her hands through it before shooting yuju a smile. "ready?"


	2. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **chapter warnings:** none  


jeongyeon watched the trainees file into the auditorium, thankful that she decided to arrive early to avoid the crowd. she'd always been one to get irritated by bustling people.

as a shorter trainee sat in the row behind her — one whom she recognized, but couldn't recall the name of — jeongyeon heard her say, "ugh, crowds are always the worst part of assemblies." she sounded more tired than bitter, but jeongyeon could hear the underlying irritation in her words.

she curled into herself a little, growing colder by the second. the auditorium was usually cold — probably the coldest room in the building — but it never made goosebumps rise on her skin or shivers rack through her body unless they were in an assembly. it were as if they assumed that the trainees' and agents' body heat would raise the room's temperature by eighty degrees.

after about fifteen minutes of jeongyeon waiting, everyone was seated, and a man dressed in a crisp black suit stepped on to the podium. a woman in a white blouse and form-fitted beige skirt, who had been on the stage before jeongyeon had entered the auditorium, shuffled closer to the administrator. she had multiple papers of some sort in her hands; jeongyeon could see a stack of cards and envelopes, the former on the top of the pile. everything about the two screamed _professionalism_, from their posture to their expressions.

the man — geun yuseok, the highest authority of their branch of seong agencies — cleared his throat, gently tapping on the mic once before speaking.

"hello, and thank you for joining us today. we will be announcing seong agency's new group. _twice_ — _top workers of intelligence and combat engagement_ — will be a group composed of agents who have displayed exemplary skills and effort in their years as trainees. we will be assigning missions pertaining to these agents' abilities to _twice_.

over the past decade at seong agency, our trainees'— and agents'— skill levels have been steadily increasing. as of right now, our skill levels are the highest they've ever been. to recognize this, and to put this skill to proper use, we have put together a group of agents that have proven they can showcase this growth."

murmurs filled the room at yuseok's words. the reaction was bittersweet. although it was a compliment to their abilities, it also meant a higher baseline for their skills— higher expectations.

"as with all of our groups, we've chosen each member with utmost thought and care. we truly believe that the trainees we have chosen are not only efficient agents, but also have abilities and work styles that will complement each other. we wish _twice_ success as a group and as agents. i will now be announcing the members of _twice_." yuseok looked at the woman, who was standing to his right. she handed him the stack before shuffling away, clearly having been instructed not to waste any time on stage.

the auditorium was dead silent with the anxiety-ridden anticipation of the announcement of the first member.

"the first — and eldest — member of _twice_ is..." he opened the card, than looked up. "im nayeon."

a few unsure claps triggered a tame applause, the tension barely lessening.

a trainee of average height and long brunette hair stepped on to the stage, her bright smile showcasing teeth that resembled those of a rabbit's. it was an endearing quality, even if jeongyeon knew nothing about her. she may have recalled hearing her name a few times, but then again, jeongyeon wouldn't particularly refer to herself as a social butterfly, so she didn't know much about a lot of her peers.

yuseok turned to nayeon. "im nayeon, i and the rest of seong agency congratulate you on your appointment into _twice_. we wish you success as an agent."

he picked up a badge resting on the podium and attached it to the breast of nayeon's uniform. jeongyeon briefly remembered that agents' uniforms were different than trainees', so the badge would have to be removed once she was officially an agent. it must have just been for recognition — or maybe so that others knew that even though she wasn't officially an agent yet, she was in the process of graduating.

applause filled the room, more confident after yuseok's congratulatory words. nayeon accepted an envelope from yuseok before bowing and leaving the stage, smile just as proud as when she stepped on to it.

"congratulations again to miss im. we will proceed to announcing the next member of _twice_."

he placed nayeon's card on the podium and cleared his throat before beginning to speak again.

"the next member of _twice_ is..." he opened the card, looking up at the audience. "yoo jeongyeon."

jeongyeon felt like her body froze — not in fear, but in shock. did she hear that right? she looked around the room, watching everyone slowly applaud. she slowly stood up, feeling their eyes on her as she shuffled in front of the others in her row. as she stepped on to the stage, she hoped that nobody could see her shaking.

as she approached yuseok, an artificial smile was plastered on his face. "yoo jeongyeon, i and the rest of seong agency congratulate you on your appointment into _twice_. we wish you success as an agent."

after receiving her badge and envelope, along with a round of applause, jeongyeon returned to her seat.

and so it went like that: each of the nine members — all female — were called up and congratulated. after jeongyeon, hirai momo was called, a wide-eyed girl whom jeongyeon was almost certain moved to korea from japan. then was minatozaki sana, also from japan, whose name jeongyeon had heard more than a few times. following her was park jihyo, a trainee that jeongyeon recalled speaking to a while ago. she seemed very friendly, yet temperate — the type of person that got along well with everyone, but remained somewhat reserved. after her was myoui mina, another trainee jeongyeon guessed was from japan. she didn't recognize her face or her name, but her smile was subtle, as if trying to keep a modest demeanor. next was kim dahyun, whose expression contrasted with mina's smile bright; unabashed. son chaeyoung was then announced, a pleased but gentle smile on her face. like mina, jeongyeon didn't recognize her. lastly was chou tzuyu, whom jeongyeon was also fairly sure moved to korea — but she didn't think she was from japan. maybe china?

"if _twice_'s members would stand, please, let's give them a round of applause. congratulations, ladies." the nine members stood up, bowing as the applause echoed through the room.

"thank you for attending today's assembly. keep up the good work."

as everybody filed out of the auditorium, jeongyeon's eyes were drawn to nayeon. she had about eight girls surrounding her, congratulating her on being chosen for _twice_. a few guys hesitated to leave when they passed her, looking like they wanted to say something but deciding against it. as jeongyeon looked around for the other members — only two others of which she saw — she could easily tell that nayeon was the most popular. it was no surprise — she seemed very sociable and charismatic. jeongyeon didn't doubt that there were other social butterflies in the new group, but nayeon was certainly an apparent one.

the other two girls, momo and dahyun, were only chatting with one girl each. the three of them were too preoccupied to notice jeongyeon's slightly awkward lingering. she sighed and left the auditorium.

♥︎

once mina got back to her room, she had to take a few minutes to process what had just happened.

she'd been chosen to debut in twice ― possibly the most reputable group at seong organizations, despite not having debuted yet. hell, "top" was in the name. it was nearly impossible to believe that she was selected for such a thing.

not only was the group extremely cut-throat ― it had to have been ― mina had been training for not even two years. she knew trainees who were well into a decade of training, so it came to a shock to her to debut at all, let alone in such a respectable group. she knew that the other trainees were skilled, but she _had_ been told that her skill levels were exceptionally high and were growing at amazing speeds. it didn't hurt that she had experience before joining the agency, but that didn't make the praise any less of an honor, especially knowing that she was considered skilled enough to debut in _twice_.

but it wasn't that mina thought of herself as higher or better than other trainees. they were still her sunbaes, as they had been members of the agency longer than she had. she didn't know what technically classified an agent as a sunbae when the agent with less training time debuted earlier, but she doubted the roles would suddenly reverse. and she knew that the members weren't only chosen by their skill levels; a number of factors played into the decision, including each agent's power, the chemistry of their powers, the chemistry of their strengths and weaknesses, the chemistry of their work styles ― the list went on. each group under seong organizations was carefully handcrafted by shin ohseong himself, who was an expert in doing so. though trainees were often bitter about their lack of debut ― especially those who trained for so long ― they knew that the reason they hadn't debuted yet (typically) wasn't due to poor skill. mina was fortunate enough to be deemed an acceptable ― nay, a _favorable_ fit for _twice_. it was nerve-wracking, yet exhilarating, knowing that her abilities were thought of so highly. to think that she would be going on _missions_ made her heart feel like it was going to beat out of her chest from nervousness and excitement.

mina was pulled out of her thoughts by a knock on her door. she stood to answer, wiping off her red and white uniform.

she opened the door to a girl with a black and white uniform, meaning that she assisted the higher-ups of the agency. some agents, when not on missions or busy with other activities regarding their groups, assisted the staff.

"myoui mina?" she questioned, reading mina's name off of a paper.

"yes?"

she handed mina a yellow envelope, full and thick.

"these are documents regarding your induction into _twice_. please return those that need so to mr. geun's mailbox by friday."

"ah, thank you," mina said as she accepted the envelope. she bowed before closing the door and sitting down at her desk to open the envelope.

physical messages and mail were rare ― agents and trainees alike typically used e-mail. not internet e-mail, but mail on a server for the entire agency. physical mail was usually for more serious matters, which included trainees debuting.

upon opening, the envelope consisted of many different papers, some single and some in stapled packets. she skimmed through them, noting the contrast between short, easy letters and long chunks of tiny text.

she looked at her clock. _7:32 pm_, it read. she wondered how long a night filling out all of the documents would be.

some of them she expected: the forms outlining the responsibilities, rights, and privileges of an agent, one set to sign and one set to keep. some were a little less expected, but not surprising, like the documents regarding the new room mina would be living in. it wasn't strange, especially considering she'd gone through the approval process for her current room when she became a trainee, but she'd kind of forgotten about it. it was hard to think about things like moving rooms when she was going to debut; her mind was busy racing with thoughts of missions and enemies and skills that she hadn't even thought about how her personal life was going to change.

she had no idea what her new room looked like, though. she was only friends with trainees, and although agents were certainly allowed to talk to trainees, they were treated significantly differently ― significantly _better_. and there was a sort of unspoken rule to not "expose" trainees to the luxuries of agent life. even if they wanted too, agents couldn't share their privileges with trainees. trainees weren't allowed in the north wing― the agent wing― at all, which contained agents' rooms and luxurious recreational rooms, such as the gym and spa. of course, every trainee had heard of these, but agents weren't allowed to show pictures of them to trainees. this policy was rarely disobeyed, not because agents were perfect, but because surveillance was pretty intense, and the reward wasn't worth the risk most agents would imagine.

the agency obviously favored agents. it was the difference in treatment that bothered most trainees. but they also understood that agents' lives were insanely different than trainees'. agents put their lives at risk every time they went on missions. they couldn't slack off for a few moments like trainees could. they would be out for hours, sometimes _days_, fighting and obtaining information from enemies. trainees were never in danger; every part of their training was completely safe, save for a few bruises. there was no way to emulate the danger of missions for trainees, especially considering new trainees weren't at a level to be placed in such situations.

it made sense for agents to have so many privileges. their responsibilities were strenuous. and although it wasn't easy, they'd chosen to sign the contract. maybe someday they would regret it, but they couldn't say they were uninformed. but it wasn't much better than oblivion ― the anticipation was terrifying, knowing the danger, the risk involved in these missions.

that wasn't to say that they knew what was coming to them. not only in missions, but with the agency, too. that contract held a lot of power. the agency certainly wasn't angelic, even though they'd never claim not to be. there had been a few instances of mistreatment of trainees that mina had heard about. they weren't too severe, but she knew that they could have been ― knew that they likely _were_ for some agents, if the horror stories about what they called _slave contracts_ were anything to go by. but they were just that: horror stories. mina didn't know what was real and what was fiction.

she knew that the hidden side of the agency could be _dark_ ― knew that it was, to an extent. she didn't know enough to terrify her. the lack of knowledge was scary on its own. she tried not to think about it too much, liked to think about the possibility that the horror stories were exaggerated.

she pushed the thoughts away. regardless of her fears, mina had been training for this. she couldn't imagine turning her back on it.

mina recognized that reading every word of every form would take (literally) all night, so she skimmed over most of it, reading only the important parts. she wasn't the irresponsible or reckless type; she didn't know a single person who'd actually read through all of the documents, and she was sure of her decision already. it wasn't like anything in the forms was going to make her change her mind.

she found herself strangely excited while reading the forms detailing her new "living arrangement", most likely because it really said that this was happening. only agents signed to live in a room in the north wing. mina could go to the north wing whenever she wanted, all alone. she would be _living_ there. she knew it sounded dumb, but any trainee would be lying if they said that it wasn't exciting to read the print. the mystery of the recreational rooms there made it that much more exciting.

she briefly wondered how well she'd get along with the other girls. ceo shin always made sure that members powers' mixed well together, but there was no telling whether they'd have chemistry or not personality-wise. each trainee and agent's work style was in the system, determined in the first month of training. but work styles and personalities weren't the same thing. even if they swore to maintain professionalism, they couldn't really put aside clashing personalities, especially in a practice that required so much teamwork.

admittedly, there were some trainees that mina simply didn't like. she wasn't the type to dislike others for trivial reasons. even when silently judging people, she tried to have an open mind unless they displayed blatant aggression or bigotry. she wasn't the type to make assumptions, either. there was a big difference between being reserved and rude. fortunately, mina didn't have any negative experiences with the other members, and she hoped that it would stay that way. arguments were inevitable ― hostility was not.

there was so much unknown in her future now that she was going to debut. even the littlest, most insignificant things were a mystery to her. would they live next to each other since they were in the same group? would they spend time together before their first mission? what would it feel like to bring a trainee to the north wing?

she couldn't help thinking it. she'd always been the type to contemplate a thought until it branched out into a collection of others for her to ponder. and it was hard not to do when everything she'd been working for was coming to fruition.

once she finished the paperwork, mina prepared for a shower, remembering another aspect of being an agent: she'd have her own shower and wouldn't have to use the locker room showers anymore. just another small but valuable privilege.

she couldn't believe she was going to be an agent.


	3. three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **chapter warnings:** none

momo didn't want to say that she was _shocked_ that she'd been selected as a member of _twice_, but truthfully... she was a bit surprised.

it wasn't because she had doubt in her abilities as an agent. in all honesty, she was confident. but she couldn't say that she expected it. there were trainees that had been at the agency for over a decade. and she knew that more training time didn't guarantee higher skill level, but they were certainly correlated. and she knew that factors other than skill level played a part in who was chosen, but―

_but_.

_twice_ was undeniably― well, a big fucking deal. she didn't want to downplay other groups, but no other group had been spoken so highly of; at least not in the years that momo had been training.

and even if that was only about three and a half years, momo talked to other trainees. heard other trainees talk. she couldn't recall any other group even _mentioned_ to have the same degree of honor as _twice_.

it was that: there were so many trainees dying to debut. of all of them, momo was chosen not only to debut, but to debut in a group deserving of such admiration and regard.

so while momo was confident in her abilities, she didn't think _anyone_ could be confident enough to expect to be selected for _twice_. based on her evaluations, she'd been performing well, but a lot of trainees were. of course, they were always told where they could improve, and it was never kind. trainees dreaded evaluations, not only because they were being tested, but because they were always critiqued. they weren't insulted or shamed, but the words were not only straightforward but also harsh. whoever the director of the evaluation was, they never beat around the bush. evaluations were held monthly, and they didn't get their results until a week after they were held, but the director still told them the areas in which they were lacking. part of the reason it felt so insulting was because of the delivery ― unlike the results they received, the critique didn't feel professional. it felt more like they were being told off; in a way, they were. after her first evaluation, momo thought her director was on a power trip, but not too much later she learned that they all treated trainees like that. momo didn't know if they were ordered to do it or if they were just assholes.

_i wonder if it'll be different as an agent._

she pushed the thought away. it was nice to imagine, but she didn't know how likely it was. she didn't want any wishful thinking invading her head.

after finishing the paperwork the night before, momo could barely sleep. she couldn't stop thinking about it; her life was going to be completely different, but a different that she wanted. a different that she'd been yearning for a long time.

she looked around at her room, noting how _small_ it was. it wasn't like she had anything to compare it to ― they weren't allowed to see agents' bedrooms, anyways ― but she heard enough about agent rooms to know that trainee rooms were really nothing. hell, the knowledge that they had their own _bathrooms_ was enough.

and momo didn't mean to sound like she was more _deserving_ of a nice room than others, because she wasn't, not necessarily. she understood that hard work gets you places, and she did work hard, but so had others, and it was more than that. but the trainee dorms really weren't ideal. they weren't even close to preferable. quite honestly, they were _shabby_. and again, momo didn't think she was more deserving of something better. it was just the truth. she'd agree wholeheartedly if anyone else said it. it didn't come from a place of entitlement, it came from a place of _knowing that they could have better_.

the rooms were small, little four-walled spaces with a bed along the full length of one wall, the remaining space filled with a bedside table, an armchair, and a desk. behind the desk was an array of shelves, some of them covered by the desk, and a dresser was inside of the closet. an old, tired window decorated the wall alongside the bed. momo's was never able to open.

it was just that: they could afford better rooms, but they didn't care. their time, effort, and money was to go towards something else. momo realized that there was really only one positive aspect to being a trainee rather than an agent: your life wasn't in danger.

because it seemed almost cruel for trainees to receive such treatment compared to that of trainees, but it wasn't so insane when you'd remember that trainees don't have to wonder if they're going to live when taking care of their responsibilities. and sure, they were never given missions above their skill levels, but it didn't matter. above or below their levels, they were _agents_. anything could happen. you really didn't know what you were going into entering a mission. you could never know if there was a lot more going on behind a situation you thought you knew. it was terrifying.

and it would still be worth it, even if momo upgraded from her tiny room to whatever was waiting for her in the future, but maybe they did it on purpose. maybe they wanted to keep the trainee dorms so unappealing. because it was more of a reward to the agents when there was such a contrast between them. and it kept trainees wanting to be agents; the discomfort made them want to serve the agency. if trainees had decent rooms, decent treatment, they may not want to graduate. and that would mean they wouldn't be doing the work that the agency wanted them to eventually do.

but it didn't really matter anymore, did it? soon enough, momo wouldn't see her tiny room ever again. it sounded like it should be an emotional thing, maybe even a little bittersweet, but it wasn't. even good memories made in that room would be lifted and moved to the new dorms, leaving no trace of momo. she couldn't say she was going to miss it.

she looked at the clock on her desk. she was to meet administrator geun along with _twice_'s other members at 11 am tomorrow, hopefully to have a smooth discussion regarding officially graduating. she would also meet the other members ― the only ones she could remember ever speaking to were jihyo and nayeon, and she didn't remember either conversation.

it was still unbelievable. when she had arrived at the agency three and a half years ago, she didn't know what to expect. she admittedly had never met a member of seong agencies in her life. granted, not every member did before joining, but she was going in a little blind. she was surprised to see not only the imbalance of trainees and agents, but also the differences between them; it was almost like culture difference. she couldn't say that she thought other agencies were different, but she had no idea what she was going into. the community was also a shock: it wasn't just trainees training and agents fighting. there were recreational parts of the agency, different areas to do different things, and so many different places and activities. it wasn't luxurious ― at least not as a trainee ― but it was bigger, _more_, than she expected.

she could have chosen to be independent. she could have been a wanderer. she was, for a while. but it was hard to live like that. the agencies were the only communities created for aliens. there were always packs, of course, groups of wanderers who found each other and worked together, but they weren't any better. they still offered no security of stability. they couldn't provide the needs many wanderers wished for.

many had attempted a life with humans, but momo didn't think any ever actually worked out. aliens were raised to use their powers, not restrain them. and it wasn't like humans couldn't handle _seeing_ their powers (most of the time), but they couldn't live alongside them. aliens who used their powers the way they were raised to would be ostracized from human communities. it hadn't worked for years and it likely never would. it wasn't a discrimination thing, it was a power thing. how could two species live with each other when one has such greater abilities than the other?

and that power difference was the primary motivation behind many agencies' goals.

but it was all of that which made momo join seong agencies. being a wanderer, despite the freedom, was unbearable. she tried to remember it as something better than what it was, just an obstacle, but―

she pushed the thoughts away. she didn't need such negativity in her head. she was going to _debut_. this was what she wanted for years. she should be celebrating. sure she couldn't throw herself a party, but she could still enjoy it. she could let herself be proud. she was going to be saving lives. her hard work was going to _mean something_. it wasn't going to be easy. it never had. but she wasn't going to think about her past or upcoming hardships. she just wanted to think about her achievements right now.

she was pulled out of her thoughts by her growling stomach. she looked at the clock: _8:30 am_. breakfast was open for another half hour. if she hurried, she could make it before they closed. if not, she could always get something from the cafeteria's refrigerators, bur she was in the mood for a real breakfast. her friends would probably tell her to just go and do her morning routine after breakfast, but she almost never left her room without doing it. she knew her friends had already finished eating breakfast, but she could text them to come to the cafeteria. she just had to bribe them by offering some of her food (that they would steal from her either way). she knew they would want to talk about _twice_, anyways.

she skipped making her bed, heading straight to the bathroom to clean up.

twenty minutes later, momo was leaving her room with her bangs styled and her makeup on. her friends were already on their way, responding to her almost immediately.

she speedwalked to the cafeteria, hurrying to get some pancakes before sitting at a table close to the entrance. the cafeteria wasn't busy, only a few groups of people scattered here and there. a few minutes after momo sat down at a table close to the entrance, her friends filtered in until her, minju, jiwon, and hayoon were all seated at the table.

"so talk to us," hayoon demanded. "all of it."

momo laughed into her water bottle. "there's not much to tell," she said. "i'm still processing it. it's insane."

"have you talked to anyone about it since the announcement?" minju asked, stealing a piece of melon from momo's plate. momo shook her head.

"they don't actually talk to you again face-to-face until the meeting where the graduation process will hopefully be finalized. they deliver the paperwork, which i'm going to turn in after i eat."

"what was the paperwork?" minju asked.

momo shrugged. "mostly what you'd expect," she answered. "it's a lot of tiny text and extra copies to keep."

"anything surprise you?" hayoon asked.

"i wouldn't say _surprise_. i guess there are some things you don't really think about." she suddenly realized that she probably wasn't "supposed" to be talking about it. some― _most_ information given to agents wasn't to be shared with trainees. momo didn't particularly care; it wasn't like someone was going to find out just because she was talking to her friends at breakfast. she didn't have anything interesting to tell them, anyways. the forms were mostly filled with information she expected. she was ready to talk about how excited she was to be an agent. she wasn't bragging, and the last thing she would want to do was make her friends feel bad, but it was a huge turning point for her. of course she wanted to talk about it.

"like what?" hayoon asked, and momo realized she'd sort of zoned out.

"i can't really think of anything in particular," she replied. in all honestly, she'd forgotten what she said before, just knew they were talking about the forms. hayoon's shoulders slumped at momo's answer. "i promise there's nothing interesting, though," she added.

"have things kind of been the same since, then? in terms of what you've been doing, i mean," jiwon joined.

"yeah. it's only been a few days, anyways. i don't think there's much room for change there. so really, i don't think anything happens until you actually graduate."

the three hummed in understanding.

"so how have _you_ been?"

momo smiled. "that's another story."

minju laughed. "i imagine it would be. i don't think i'd be able to sleep at night."

"i can't, really. i just keep thinking about how i'm actually going to be an agent."

jiwon nodded. "don't forget about us."

momo shook her head, chuckling. "that won't change. i'll be busier, obviously, but it's not like i'll be out of touch. and you guys will debut soon enough. you deserve it."

"i hope so," hayoon said. "it definitely won't be soon, though."

"it's alright," minju amended. "unnie will tell us what the good life is like."

momo laughed. "i will. i know it's not the same thing as debuting, but i'll tell you guys all about it."

jiwon smiled. "i'll hold you to that. i've never been friends with an agent."

hayoon opened her mouth to say something when her phone went off. she looked at it before saying, "shit, i gotta go."

"i probably should, too," jiwon admitted. "talk to you later?"

"yep," momo agreed. "talk to you guys later."

as they left the cafeteria, momo stood up to throw away her trash. minju followed behind her.

"i would ask if you wanted to hang out, but i have to go turn in those forms and clean up my room," momo told minju, smiling apologetically.

"that's okay, i get it. keep me updated, alright?"

"will do. bye, minju."

"bye, unnie."

momo headed to her room, mind racing with thoughts of missions and new rooms and the unknown of the future.


End file.
